Cat Just Spayed: Pain Management?

wrote
One of the vets here offers take-home pain meds as an "option"... at
$20. Of course most people are going to take it. But IMO, that's
emotional blackmail.

Yes, that was part of my skepticism, too. Wish I knew how many stitches were
in place, or whether for such a young cat the recovery is indeed faster.

Just the fact that the first dose was not due until the following morning
made me think perhaps it could be foregone. Still, I'm happy rolling the
dice for only $12, especially with the other patient in the house. I gave
the first dose an hour ago, and it seems to have tired her out, though the
vet's office said it wouldn't make her drowsy. She seems alert enough that
I'm not worried and figure the metacam is working the way Ibuprofen works
with me--definitely relieves my knee pain but puts me to sleep, too.

Hopitus--yes, I think they are definitely companions-in-arms over their
ailments. They are staying close and I think are much happier with the
company.

Thanks also to L. and Barry for your thoughts. Purrr back at ya from my
hop-a-long Cracker Jack Caramel tabby and the recently spayed Strawberry
Blonde tabby.

Elle wrote:
wrote
One of the vets here offers take-home pain meds as an "option"...
at
$20. Of course most people are going to take it. But IMO, that's
emotional blackmail.

Yes, that was part of my skepticism, too. Wish I knew how many
stitches were
in place, or whether for such a young cat the recovery is indeed
faster.

How old is the kitten? For 8-10 weeks they usually have 2 internal and
2 external sutures. Recovery is within a few days. They usually don't
need meds to go home.

If the cat was a year old or older, I'd take meds.


Just the fact that the first dose was not due until the following
morning
made me think perhaps it could be foregone. Still, I'm happy rolling
the
dice for only $12, especially with the other patient in the house. I
gave
the first dose an hour ago, and it seems to have tired her out,
though the
vet's office said it wouldn't make her drowsy. She seems alert enough
that
I'm not worried and figure the metacam is working the way Ibuprofen
works
with me--definitely relieves my knee pain but puts me to sleep, too.

That's a good description. Watch the Medicam though. Some cats
have adverse reactions to it. If she drools at all, quit giving it to
her.


Hopitus--yes, I think they are definitely companions-in-arms over
their
ailments. They are staying close and I think are much happier with
the
company.

Thanks also to L. and Barry for your thoughts. Purrr back at ya from
my
hop-a-long Cracker Jack Caramel tabby and the recently spayed
Strawberry
Blonde tabby.

Please keep us posted on how they do.

-L.

On Fri, 20 May 2005 18:29:54 GMT, "Elle"
wrote:

The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster) cat's
spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that some
parents of cats do not think it's necessary. Can people post quickly their
experience with this?

I had the vet medicate my cats. I think they do better with post-op
pain medication. They did not need any medication after they got
home. The hard part was keeping them quiet for the week or 10 days
until they got their stitches out, so it was apparent they were not in
much pain.

Also, can anyone make suggestions for a home-made Elizabeth collar, should
my cat start licking at her incision? So far she has not, and the tech who
called to report on her surgery said that means she likely will not, but I
want to be prepared.

You might borrow one from the vet. The plastic ones are better
because the cat will lick the inside of the collar. Be sure the cat
can drink water with the collar on. My two did not need any
restraint. I did keep them in their own room for a week so they
wouldn't climbing on furniture. The surgeries were 8 years apart.
One is now 10 and the other is 2.

"-L." wrote
snip for brevity
How old is the kitten? For 8-10 weeks they usually have 2 internal and
2 external sutures. Recovery is within a few days. They usually don't
need meds to go home.

I think she's somewhere between 8 months and a year. She's very small, but
that might be the way she is always. As I mentioned earlier (I think), she
had a litter of kittens a couple of months ago. We don't have much by way of
records, once she became pregnant, because she is a rescue cat.

I appreciate the info on the sutures.

If the cat was a year old or older, I'd take meds.

Noted for the future. :-)

Just the fact that the first dose was not due until the following
morning
made me think perhaps it could be foregone. Still, I'm happy rolling
the
dice for only $12, especially with the other patient in the house. I
gave
the first dose an hour ago, and it seems to have tired her out,
though the
vet's office said it wouldn't make her drowsy. She seems alert enough
that
I'm not worried and figure the metacam is working the way Ibuprofen
works
with me--definitely relieves my knee pain but puts me to sleep, too.

That's a good description. Watch the Medicam though. Some cats
have adverse reactions to it. If she drools at all, quit giving it to
her.

Okay. So far her appetite is good and she has passed urine. She is sleeping
more than yesterday, though.

"William Hamblen" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 20 May 2005 18:29:54 GMT, "Elle"
wrote:

The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster)
cat's
spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that
some
parents of cats do not think it's necessary. Can people post quickly
their
experience with this?

I had the vet medicate my cats. I think they do better with post-op
pain medication.

That seems like the safer bet. I guess if the pain medication were really
expensive, for a young cat (without other complications like having to live
with another cat) I might forego it in the future.

They did not need any medication after they got
home. The hard part was keeping them quiet for the week or 10 days
until they got their stitches out, so it was apparent they were not in
much pain.

Also, can anyone make suggestions for a home-made Elizabeth collar,
should
my cat start licking at her incision? So far she has not, and the tech
who
called to report on her surgery said that means she likely will not, but
I
want to be prepared.

You might borrow one from the vet. The plastic ones are better
because the cat will lick the inside of the collar.

I have a plastic one on my other cat (the one with the mending broken leg),
and yes, it works great, once he gives up trying to get it off, which takes
a couple of days. I take it off for his 3x a day feedings and litter box
visits. (Litter box visits are supervised so he doesn't soil or wet his
bandage.)

Be sure the cat
can drink water with the collar on. My two did not need any
restraint.

So far the cat that was spayed has not needed the collar, but I am
definitely keeping her in her pen. She'd love to romp about if I let her,
though she seems to be sleeping a lot now with the Metacam pain killer.

I did keep them in their own room for a week so they
wouldn't climbing on furniture. The surgeries were 8 years apart.
One is now 10 and the other is 2.

Thanks, William

Elle wrote:


That seems like the safer bet. I guess if the pain medication were
really
expensive, for a young cat (without other complications like having
to live
with another cat) I might forego it in the future.


'Spaying' a cat is the actual removal of the female reproductive
organs. In a human, it would be called a radical hysterectomy. If any
doctor ever performed a hysterectomy on a woman and refused her pain
meds, he'd find himself facing a judge.

There is simply no reason to deny your cat pain meds. Spaying is,
without a doubt, a painful procedure. I think that because spaying is
so commonly done, people tend to forget it is a major surgery. Your
vet isn't offering pain meds just because he's greedy and wants more
cash. Study after study has shown that surgery is painful to animals
and that they heal better and faster if given pain medication.

Will your cat recover just fine without pain medication? Very likely.
I know allot of people are confused by this new 'option'...after all,
most of us have had cats spayed years ago and no one ever fussed over
the idea that it might hurt! Why is it such a big deal now? The simple
fact is that the vets are only just now starting to realize that
animals really do feel pain and that their pain deserves to be treated.
Any veterinary journal you pick up these days will be full of
information on pain protocols and management. Spaying has always been
a painful procedure but safe, effective pain management is a new
concept to the veterinary world. It isn't the your cat needs pain
meds...she will live without them and do just fine. But if you are
given a way to help ease surgical pain, why not do so? If you underwent
the same procedure, wouldn't you want your pain managed? Especially if
you had no way to tell someone that it hurts?

I do agree that charging extra for pain meds is a form of blackmail.
At my clinic, the cost is built into the surgical price and you don't
get a choice in the matter. We believe that all animals deserve pain
management and that it should never be considered 'optional'.

Again...if there were a way to keep your animal free of pain, why would
you not take it? This is a sincere question...I simply see no
downside.

Sethran

"Dom" wrote
Elle wrote:


That seems like the safer bet. I guess if the pain medication were
really
expensive, for a young cat (without other complications like having
to live
with another cat) I might forego it in the future.


'Spaying' a cat is the actual removal of the female reproductive
organs. In a human, it would be called a radical hysterectomy. If any
doctor ever performed a hysterectomy on a woman and refused her pain
meds, he'd find himself facing a judge.

I don't think this popular analogy is valid, particularly for cats under a
year or so of age. The sutures are far fewer, translating to a far less
complicated procedure compared to a hysterectomy in an adult woman. The pain
meds given during surgery or perhaps right after are effective for some 18
hours afterwards.

There is simply no reason to deny your cat pain meds.

One reason we minimize pain meds in humans is because there are side
effects. For example, ibuprofen can have detrimental effects on the liver. I
minimize the use of anti-biotics--with me or animals--because they will lose
effectiveness over time.

I appeciate your opinion and know others have it. At this point I wouldn't
condemn anyone for not choosing pain meds following spaying of a young cat.
Not that you're condemning anyone. Just saying I have now chosen a side on
this issue.

"Dom" wrote :

I do agree that charging extra for pain meds is a form of blackmail.
At my clinic, the cost is built into the surgical price and you don't
get a choice in the matter. We believe that all animals deserve pain
management and that it should never be considered 'optional'.

Again...if there were a way to keep your animal free of pain, why would
you not take it? This is a sincere question...I simply see no
downside.

Sethran


It's true. I suspect it harkens back to a time and the remaining
mindsets of that time, when it was tacitly assumed that animals
do not have the same feelings--emotions or physical feelings--
that humans do. Really stupid and really sick.